A blast from the past

A guide to the retro amusement park near Mt. Tsukuba with Giant Toad and other mysterious attractions

Mt. Tsukuba or "purple mountain" as it is called for changing its color from pale indigo in the light of the morning sun to emerald-green in the afternoon and purple during sunset hours, is a 877m mountain in Ibaraki prefecture.

The trip to Mt. Tsukuba can be a perfect getaway from overcrowded Tokyo since it is easily accessible from Tokyo (less than 2 hours) and has a breathtaking panoramic view of the Kanto plain from the summit. If you are not a big fan of hiking there is also the ropeway near Tsutsujigaoka Station that will get to the top of the mountain right away.

This time, it is not Mt. Tsukuba that I want to talk about, but a strange amusement park called "Gama land" standing next to the parking lot of the ropeway station.

"Gama land" (or "Toad land", since "gama" means "toad" in English) was created in the 1980s by a company called Mitsui Tourism, the same company that operates the ropeway and cable car to Mt. Tsukuba.

"Gama land" is the first thing you see getting off the bus at Tsutsujigaoka Bus Station, thanks to the giant toad sitting below Mt. Tsukuba.

This retro amusement park consists of a souvenir shop where you can buy famous "gama oil"(oil made from the toad sweat that is known for its healing effect), a dining area, a haunted house, an observation deck, and a shrine dedicated… again to the Giant Toad.

The biggest attraction is the so-called
Gama Cave (ガマ洞窟).

It is a walk-through attraction haunted by a giant toad. Have you ever heard of something equally ridiculous? Admission is 500 yen with a warning message next to it saying that no refund will be given after purchasing the ticket. That makes me wonder how many people have asked for a refund:)

If you are a big fan of odd attractions you can buy a ticket at the souvenir shop right next to the Gama Cave.

After entering, you find yourself in a very narrow tunnel filled with different retro stuffed animals and objects you might have seen in some antique shop.

The cave is pitch black (except for pictures drawn on the wall with fluorescent ink) and it is better to use a flashlight and watch out for dirty mattresses on the ground (it makes you feel like walking through the swamp bog).

There are some classic haunted house features like strange sounds coming from the ceiling after entering some doors, papier-mache demons and a huge toad sitting on the wall.

Honestly, I would not recommend this attraction for the faint of heart, especially if you go all by yourself (as I did). But for those folks with great bravery who can pass this test, will be able to escape any disaster (as the message next to the entrance says).

Next I recommend visiting the souvenir shop. It mainly sells frog statues and mascots, but there are also some mysterious items as old Japanese masks, geisha doll or daruma doll.

After some shopping (why not?) do not forget to take the stairs to the rooftop to see a play corner with some colorful space rocket slides, rusting mini locomotive, and some other playground equipment from the '80s.

After visiting "Gama land" I was filled with a feeling of nostalgia and a hope that Tsukuba city will be able to preserve such a great vintage spot.

Access

Take Tsukuba Express from Akihabara Station to Tsukuba Station (around 45 minutes), then change to Tsukuba bus bounding to Tsutsujigaoka Bus Station (around 50 minutes).